For the fourth consecutive month New Jersey voters give Governor Chris Christie approval ratings above 70 percent.

Governor Chris Christie and President Barack Obama
Governor Chris Christie and President Barack Obama (Governor's Office/Tim Larsen)
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They're split on whether he should run for President in 2016 or if he would make a good Commander-in-Chief. Today, Quinnipiac University is out with its latest poll.

Garden State voters approve 70 - 23 percent of the job Christie is doing, continuing his four-month string of +70 percent approval ratings. He leads State Senator Barbara Buono, his likely Democratic challenger for re-election, 60 - 25 percent, also continuing a string of 2-1 leads over the largely unknown Buono. Voters also say 66 - 25 percent, including 44 - 43 percent among Democrats, that Christie deserves reelection, also continuing a trend.

"New Jersey voters rate Gov. Christopher Christie's performance in Trenton at his now-routine astronomical level," says Mickey Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "And they think he deserves reelection in November."

Christie gets a 69 - 22 percent favorability rating, including 48 - 38 percent among Democrats. For Buono, 79 percent don't know enough about her to form an opinion.

In the governor's race, Christie leads Buono 90 - 4 percent among Republicans and 69 - 15 percent among independent voters, while Democrats go to Buono 53 - 29 percent. The incumbent leads 65 - 21 percent among men and 55 - 29 percent among women, and leads in every region of the state, including 48 - 36 percent in urban areas, normally Democratic strongholds.

"Everybody knows Christie," explains Carroll. "Hardly anyone knows Sen. Barbara Buono, even though she's running an energetic, endorsement-rich campaign."

Weight And Gender In Gov's Race

The survey also reveals Garden State voters seem to have little problem with a candidate for governor who is overweight or a candidate who is a woman:

  • 4 percent are enthusiastic and 64 percent are comfortable with an overweight candidate, while 17 percent have some reservations and 4 percent are very uncomfortable
  • 17 percent are enthusiastic and 70 percent are comfortable with a female candidate, while 4 percent have some reservations and 2 percent are very uncomfortable.

"New Jersey has had a female governor, and almost all voters are OK with another woman running the show," says Carroll. "Very few voters seem to have a problem with a portly candidate."

Christie For President?

"Would he shine as brightly in Washington? New Jerseyans' views are mixed," explains Carroll. "Ditto on whether he should run for president in 2016."

New Jersey voters are split on whether Christie would make a good president, with 41 percent saying yes and 44 percent saying no. Only 46 percent of voters would like to see Christie run for president in 2016, while 47 percent want to keep him in Trenton.

Support For Same-Sex Marriage

By a 64 - 30 percent margin, voters support a law allowing same sex couples to marry. Men support same-sex marriage 60 - 32 percent, with a larger 68 - 28 percent support among women. New Jersey voters say 72 - 22 percent it's a good idea to decide the same-sex marriage issue by referendum on the November ballot.

From March 19 - 24, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,129 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Live interviewers called land lines and cell phones.

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